Edmonton Oilers demote veteran grinder to the American Hockey League

This just in, news that the Edmonton Oilers have sent Max Jones back to Bakersfield of the American Hockey League.

My take

1. Max Jones had his best run of games as an Edmonton Oiler, but winger Kasperi Kapanen is back on the ice practicing, indicating he’s close to being ready to play again after being out with injury since October 19. Kapanen is a faster and more skilled player than Jones, and just as physical, so it’s an easy choice between which of the two players to keep.

2. The Oilers need help on the third line. Kapanen has played well in spurts, including in the 2025 playoffs as high as the second line, so he’s a third line candidate. If Kapanen is ready to hit hard and win pucks on the forecheck and play solid defensive hockey — minus the nz-turnovers he was known for in the regular season last year — he might be part of the answer for the Oilers on the third or fourth lines. But Jones is now also in the running, at least for a fourth line job.

3. In his brief run of games, Jones out-played Trent Frederic, throwing more big hits and getting in on more scoring plays, while generally keeping major defensive mistakes to a minimum.

In the playoffs, if the Oilers have trouble with cap issues, Jones might well play ahead of a more expensive player like Frederic, and the same goes for Kapanen. Frederic has a $3.85 million cap hit, while Kapanen is at $1.3 million and Jones just $1.0 million. Such a scenario might unfold if the Oilers obtain a high priced player before the 2026 trade deadline, fitting him under the regular season cap just now through retention or having players on LTIR. To play this expensive newcomer in the playoffs, however, Edmonton will have to find a way to fit his full salary under the playoff cap.

4. Edmonton’s third and fourth line issues have become a crisis for this team. Against Boston, for instance, the Oilers were deadly on the attack with 26 Grade A shots, but only one of those shots came from the third or fourth lines, a tipped shot by Jones in the first period.

Edmonton has a chance to win the Stanley Cup, but only if it solves major issues in net and on the third and fourth lines. It’s not clear yet which players will be part of the solution, as opposed to part of the problem, but Jones demonstrated through his play that he might be able to help the Oilers win playoff games. In the AHL, he’s got to build on that and stay ready for his next Oilers opportunity.

5. In Bakersfield, the young guns continue to gun with Quinn Hutson and Ike Howard both sending clear signals with their play that they’re close to ready, if not fully ready, for NHL action.

Hutson has 19 goals in 26 games, making him a decent bet for Top 9 duty in the NHL, if not Top 6 duty. Howard has 10 goals in 16 games, not far behind. Big Josh Samanski is also a possibility for an Oilers try-out, given his size, defensive play and 23 points in 29 games.

At the Cult of Hockey

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